Reviews

Above all, mine is a love story. Unlike most love stories, this one involves chance, gravity, a dash of head trauma. It began with a coin toss. The coin came up tails. I was heads. Had it gone my way, there might not be a story at all. Just a chapter, or a sentence in a book whose greater theme had yet to be determined. Maybe this chapter woul've had the faintest whisper of love about it. But maybe not. Sometimes, a girl needs to lose.

I read Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin , and loved it. It's a fun book about a girl who suffers from amnesia and can't remember the last four years of her life.

At the beginning of the book, Naomi Porter and her best friend Will, co-editors of the school yearbook, are in the school parking lot. They decide with a coin toss who should go back to school to retrieve a camera. Naomi loses, so she has to go back, but trips down the stairs and hits her head. As a result, she suffers from amnesia: she can't remember anything beyond sixth grade, anything from the last four years of her life.

Naomi feels like she's a different person from the one she cannot remember. She cannot remember her best friend, her parents' divorce, or her father's fiancèe. She cannot understand why she even liked her boyfriend in the first place.

I liked this book very much. Following Naomi's love story was fun and refreshing. The outcome might not be the most original, as I was able to anticipate the ending from the middle of the book on. But still, a fun book, one I'd recommend to lovers of YA fiction.

ellenmc07's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Just ugh... I feel bad that a character like William B. Landsman is wasted on a book like this one. The writing style was fine but, everything else was not. The main character was so darn awful, I don't even know where to start. Unfortunately, I feel like I wasted my time reading this. Really take a moment before picking this up. I can't find any redeeming quality worth picking it up for. Besides William B. Landsman of course. All in all, quite forgettable.

johnaespo's review against another edition

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3.75

Pretty good. Kind of petered out in the end but I’d try another by the same author.

heathercottledillon's review

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4.0

Of the young adult books I've read this year, this is one of my favorites. The idea of losing one's memory and having to reevaluate everything is fascinating and made me think about how I'd react in the same situation. It also made me consider what my 12-year-old self would think of who I am today. There's some stereotypical teen drama and romance in here, but it seems more sincere and not quite as predictable as some other young adult stories are. The story made me laugh and is also touching without being too cheesy. I fell in love with the characters right away, especially Will and Naomi's dad. Great stuff all around!